We are into February and I have been super late on keeping this section updated. I am going to have to get busy or I will get fired from this high paying position.

The weather has given most of snow and riding in northern Minnesota has been good. We have had small amounts of snow that allow the groomers to find a bit and fill in the holes. Hopefully it will keep up until the end of March.

Got an Accelerator Clutch kit put into my CFR and it gave me what I expected. Better pull from corner to corner yet smooth and controllable with an increase in top end speed. Backshifting is still great as the sled can go from hard pack to powder and clutches keep the rpm consistent. Better clutching not only improves performance but gives longer belt life, less wear on clutch components, and increases mileage. Give the boys at FBP a call as I think they have the parts in stock.

My buddy has a new Polaris Rush and we took it over to FBP to see if they had a solution for his sore back. Good News! They had just finished a Ride Tech kit for that sled and had their sled sitting out back. We took it out for a ride and could test the two sleds back to back. Better steering, less body roll, and most of all; a plush ride from the rear end. The stocker will shorten your spine on bigger hits. We left his sled to have the shocks reworked. If you want your Rush to ride better, send in your shocks and let Dennis give them the works. Makes this new sled a contender in the big bump trail sled category.

Racing: Spencer has had an up and down year. He has finished with a 5th, 2-6th, and a 7th in the first couple of events. In the I-500 he was part of the group of top Cat drivers that had their tracks fail. He was in the top 3 with only 80 miles to go when the track let go. What a disappointment for the FBP team as they had struggled through 2 1/2 days of work and to have sled/driver stay in the front only to have track fail. I guess that is racing but it sure drives you crazy, I don't know if I could handle the disappointment, maybe that is why I am not a racer.

Congrats to Dale and Dennis. These guys pulled out the helmets and went vintage one lunger racing. Riding a Yamaha put into service by Jerry Utke they entered the ROLA One Lunger 100 race in Detroit Lakes and struggled with electrical and carb problems. They kept at it and walked away with a respectable 7th place. I am glad I didn't have to ride that sled for 100 miles but they seemed to be in good shape afterwards as I went on an 80 mile trail ride with them the following day. Hard to keep those old racers down.

DOC!

PS: If you don't have a sense of humor, you probably don't have any sense at all.

Now a few questions:

Q: I have read about suspension sag but am not sure what is meant by it or how to measure correctly. Any hints would be appreciated.

A: I always respect a person with good manners so here is the lowdown. Sag is the amount that the suspension sags from a riderless sled to when the rider is aboard. This is also called sit-in. The sag determines the amount of preload on the springs, if you can't get the correct sag it may mean your springs are either tired (old and wore out) or you need a different rate to match your weight. To correctly measure sag, see Shop Talk as I noticed they cover that subject. Saves me a bunch of writing for the same thing.

DOC!

Q: My sled (08  Summit XP) seems to sag in the rear suspension when nobody is sitting on it. The rear bumper can be lifted up and down by 2-4 inches with no resistance. I thought my shocks must be toast but when I took them out they seemed to work through their stroke ok so it must be the springs have sagged out?

A: Many sleds have this problem and the longer the track the worse it seems to get. It is a suspension geometry problem and shock/spring work won't solve the problem. It is usually caused by the front of skid being too high. This can be from a shortened limiter strap or just sitting on uneven ground (I have seen a sled do this when sitting on a slanted concrete floor next to the floor drain). If floor is level, track not sitting on rough ground, limiter strap is not pulled up, the only other fix is to make sure center shock is not damaged and jammed in a semi compressed condition. Ski-doo has addressed this problem on their 2010 Summits by lengthening the center track shock to lower the front of skid frame.

DOC!

Q: I have a set of Fox floats on the front end of my sled. I have changed the air pressure up and down but all I get is the sled seems to set lower to the ground with less air pressure. I am trying to soften the ride for trail speeds. Are air shocks always this way?

A: You are like many air shock owners, thinking that the air shock is going to be a magic solution to your suspension problems. The internals of air shocks are the same a regular shocks, the air only takes the place of the spring. On a set of coil over shocks you would have same scenario if you put on soft or harder springs. The shocks most likely need a revalve job to get them to react to the terrain. FBP also sells Air Canisters that will help soften the low speed ride by increasing the air volume. This means it takes longer for the shock to ramp up to maximum pressure. This is still NO fix for the proper valving. Contact the boys at FBP for info on valving or check the Ride Tech section on this website and get that fixed. Then you can add a set of Air Canisters and you will ready to hit the trails; smooth, washboard, or whoops you will be sitting pretty and in control.

DOC!

Q: I bought an older vintage sled and it needs the fuel to be premixed. The recommended oil/gas ratio was 20:1 but this seems a bit rich to me. Does this still hold true?

A: Oil has come a long way since the early premix days and there is no reason to mix or use that much oil. I would use a 50:1 ratio with a good, name brand oil. You will smoke less, foul fewer plugs, and save some money when driving the old iron.

DOC!

Q: My Polaris IQ was too soft for me and I found someone who had a set of ski shocks from a race sled. Now the front seems too stiff and the back is still too soft. Do I look for a set of racer shocks for the rear and then have them revalved softer?

A: Your first option should have been to take all four stock shocks and send them in to FBP for a Ride Tech Stage 2 or 2 PLUS. This would have stiffened up the valving and gave you the correct springs. Now you will need to have the ski shocks revalved softer and different springs installed, the rear will have to be revalved firmer and new stiffer springs installed. You can get the same results but you wouldn't have had to purchase the race shocks to get a firmer ride.

DOC!

Q: I was cleaning my clutches to get them ready for the season and noticed some bushing wear on the cam arms (Polaris). Is this normal or should I be using some lubricant to help prevent this. I also see some belt burn on the sheaves, would carb cleaner be a good thing to clean this off?

A: Your clutch does a lot of work keeping your engine in its proper operating rpm range and worn bushings are normal replacement parts. Clutches should have belt dust blown off with air. Belt residue is best removed with acetone, carb cleaner will leave an oily film on the sheaves and cause more belt slippage. No lubricants on any moving parts, leave them clean and dry. Any lubricants will pick up dirt and cause the bushings excessive wear. Replace bushings when worn and keep those clutches clean for best performance.

DOC!

Q: I have an 04 FireCat 700 and have tightened up the limiter strap, adjusted the springs, and put on 8" carbides in an attempt to corner like my old ZR. What else can be done as I haven't got it yet?

A: Your problem is easy to correct. Go to the Ride Tech section of this website, print and fill out form, send in with your shocks for the Ride Tech Stage 2 kit. Cornering and handling will improve dramatically. No amount of stock adjustments will give the FireCat great handling. The sled needs shock revalving, different springs, and some minor suspension mods which the Ride Tech kit takes care of. Get the Ride Tech work done and then you can still fine adjust if needed using stock adjustments.

DOC!

Q: I have a chronic case of blowing drive belts. I took sled back to dealer for alignment check and everything was straight. Any ideas what to look for as dealer said sled seemed to work ok. I have a lot of belt dust and rpms are slow to climb. Sled is all stock.

A: I would take both clutches apart and inspect all rollers and bushings. Sheaves should slide freely and look for any signs that clutch arms are binding or getting scuffed up. Check secondary for same things especially rollers. Also check chaincase to make sure there is no issue inside. While chain is off and clutches are removed, check jackshaft and driveshaft that bearings turn freely and have no play. Hopefully you will find the binding problem.

DOC!

Q: I have been looking for some pipes for older sleds. I have an 84 Yamaha and a 91 Indy. Some of the companies that I used to deal with are no longer in business, what happened to all of those parts?

A: Times have changed and companies come and go. If you are looking for old performance parts for old sleds the internet will be your best choice. There is not much demand for these items and companies cannot afford to stock parts that don't sell. Salvage yards will be your best friend for stock type replacement parts and leave it at that. Don't spend too much money on the old sleds unless you have excess time, cash and just want to rekindle old memories.

DOC!

Q: I want to change my clutching so that it goes faster off the line and into the mid-range, top end is not important. Can I just put in a stiffer spring to get the engagement up so it launches harder?

A: Just installing a spring will raise engagement but it may also increase rpm's all across the powerband. A spring change usually requires a weight change to keep the rpm's at the proper level. You don't state your sled model but maybe a gearing change along with the some minor clutch mods will help. Best to give a call and buy a setup or parts from someone who knows clutching.

DOC!

Q: I have an 07 600 IQ and would like to take off my team secondary and install a Ski-doo secondary for more top end and still keep my electric reverse. Sled goes great to about 80 then everybody starts going by.

A: I agree that the team secondary is not a good clutch for top end but I don't know if the Ski-doo clutch will cross over easily. This is something I have not done or heard of being done. I would look at an Accelerator Clutch Kit for overall best results and then accept what the sled can do.

DOC!

Q: My old FIII Ski-doo runs great and I can still keep up or beat many of the newer sleds at the radar runs. What I would like to do is to improve the ride so I don't get beat up so bad on the rough trails. I was thinking of putting in an AD Boivin or Fast suspension, any experience with these?

A: I think either of those suspensions work great for their intended useage. They will give a better ride but will take away your top end. Your fast radar runner will now be gone plus the cost of the those suspensions is worth as much or more than your sled. Keep the old girl for the flat lake running and invest in a used Rev (I wouldn't be limited to only the Rev but would check out all the brands for a good bump sled. I suggested the Rev as you are starting with a Ski-doo and most likely want to stay that way) for the trail.

DOC!

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